The subject matter disclosed herein relates generally to nuclear medicine (NM) imaging systems, and more particularly to systems and methods for patient positioning to perform scans with NM imaging systems.
NM imaging systems, for example, Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging systems, use one or more image detectors to acquire imaging data, such as gamma ray or photon imaging data. The image detectors may be gamma cameras that acquire two-dimensional views of three-dimensional distributions of emitted radionuclides (from an injected radioisotope) from a patient being imaged.
In order to acquire NM imaging information for a region of interest (ROI), the ROI, such as a heart of a patient, must be positioned within a field-of-view (FOV) of the gamma camera. For example, in non-dynamic SPECT studies, such as myocardial perfusion imaging, the patient is positioned after the radiopharmaceutical is distributed in the patient body and uptakes into the patient's heart. Even though doctors know the general location of a patient's organ, differences in patient size, individual patient variability, organ size, etc. can lead to differences in the exact location of an organ. With gamma cameras having a smaller FOV, the patient may have to be moved back and forth multiple times to properly position the heart in the FOV. This back and forth process is time consuming and can increase the anxiety level of the patient.
Moreover, in dynamic studies, such as first-pass analysis and blood flow studies, among others, the ROI, such as the organ of interest is positioned prior to administration of the radiopharmaceutical. The positioning of the ROI can be difficult, and in some cases of dynamic imaging, may be almost impossible, such as trying to place the myocardium inside a smaller FOV of a gamma camera, because the radiopharmaceutical is not yet in uptake. Small FOV gamma cameras include, for example, gamma cameras with solid state detectors, or cameras fitted with fan beam, cone beam or pinhole collimators or may be dedicated cameras, such as for cardiac imaging, and have a smaller FOV.